Poorly stray

Hi all,

My wife and I are a bit puzzled and concerned about a baby rabbit that turned up almost literally on our doorstep last night.

We've had a little lionhead for a couple of years now and we both absolutely adore rabbits. I work on building sites and race motorbikes, so not the stereotypical person type that loves small furry things, but rabbits are always welcome in our garden.

Anyway, we were out yesterday afternoon, and when we pulled up on the drive, I got some things out of the boot and as I was walking to the front door, I noticed something move next to the door step, and when I looked it was a tiny little black bunny just quietly nibbling on some grass. So I stopped as I didn't want to scare it and drew my wife Sarah's attention to it and told her to be quiet.

As I looked closer I noticed it's eyes were closed and looked very sore. It also sounded like it was sneezing a lot. When it heard me coming near it didn’t bolt, but just turned around and hopped in the opposite direction just a couple of feet away.

Nevertheless, our houses are surrounded by two with big dogs that they walk off leashes and cats roam around all the time, so I decided to gently trap it in a cardboard box and put it in an old disused hutch that I have. I gave it some grass and some water and left it alone overnight. It also doesn't look wild. It has a very healthy black coat and looks more like a domestic rabbit.

So anyway, I’ve left it in there over night and went in to see how it was this morning and it was just sat still. It shuffled a little bit when it heard me approaching, but made no effort to turn and walk away or run. Even when I spoke to it, it didn’t seem bothered.

It had however eaten all the grass I gave it, so I took up some more grass and a couple of dandelions and gave them to it and left it alone again.

I’ve just been in to check on it again, and it’s still sat in the same place, and it’s eaten the grass again but it’s turned round and I’ve had another look at it’s eyes. They don’t look scabby or particularly crusty, but they do look like they’re weeping very slightly but are still closed, and it also looks like it has a little scar just next to it’s nose.

I looked up Myxomatosis last night and had a look at a few pictures of infected rabbits and none of them look like this one, but one of the main things everything said was lumps around the nose, which is worrying me now that I noticed what looks like scar tissue near the poor thing’s nose.

I’ve heard plenty people in the past go on about just killing infected rabbits, as it puts them out of their misery and reduces contamination, but I want to be clear on this before I take any further action. I plan on speaking to my local vet tomorrow to hear what they have to say, but as it’s not my (or possibly even a pet) rabbit, I don’t want to have to pay out for anything as our own rabbit Hot Cross cost us nearly £200 just a few months back.

Can anyone help or advise? If it could get better, I dare say we would be happy to take it in, but if it is wild or seriously ill, then that’s obviously not right, but I just can’t really tell. I fear the worst, but as far as I was aware, Myxomatosis isn’t that common anymore, or is that completely untrue?

Anyway, any advice is most welcome.

Like I say, I will be contacting the RSPCA and my local vet tomorrow for advice from them, and in the meantime nothing is being taken from anywhere near the poorly bunny and going near Hot Cross just incase, but any help from you guys would be much appreciated.

Cheers, Kristian

I just found this on rabbitwelfare.co.uk which doesn't bode well...

Classic myxomatosis starts with runny eyes and in the very early stages can be confused with other causes of conjunctivitis. However, myxomatosis differs as the genitals are also swollen. It rapidly progresses to a severe conjunctivitis which causes blindness and is accompanied by lumpy (nodular) swellings on the head, plus lumps on the body. Excessive amounts of thick pus discharges from the nose and swollen eyes (which are often sealed shut). There are also two atypical forms of myxomatosis: one causes pneumonia and a snuffles-like illness; the other ("Nodular myxomatosis") mainly affects skin and carries a better prognosis.

Have you checked around the rabbits genital area to see if there are any nodules or swelling present there too...

It does sound an awful lot like Myxi and in all fairness if this rabbit has not been vaccinated the kindest thing to do will have it humanely euthanised by a veterinarian as it is unlikely to recover and although treatment can be tried it can be a long and painful round with a very low success rate.

Vaccinated rabbits stand a much better chance as they tend to contract a lesser form known as 'nodular' myxomatosis.

Until you can get the rabbit to a vet (and I advise you do this asap) make sure she or he is kept well away from your own rabbit, and wash your hands or wear gloves when handling the stray. Keep handling to a minimum too but I would suggest a quick check for fleas. Is Hot Cross vaccinated...

Oh, BTW, you can contact the RSPCA inspectors at anytime, and they can get the rabbit to a vet if you are unable to. I had them on their way out Bank Holiday Monday for a cat that had been run over.

You may find our myxomatosis article helpful too: Clicky.

Sorry, no advice to offer, but I just wanted to say good luck with the little stray xx

Hi and thanks for responding.

Hot Cross is vaccinated and this all makes me very grateful that she's so healthy. We keep up with her appointments at the vets to keep her up to date with her jabs etc, so thankfully she's fine, although the vet did tell us after having to have her teeth burred under general anaesthetic that she would probably require the same operation at least once a year which cost us a fortune, just because she's a lionhead and because they have short noses, they have problems with their back teeth which then causes other problems, so she's an expensive little girl, but as I say, this is a good example of how poorly they can get.

I had my neighbour over 20mins ago and he had a look and he said it was definitely myxi, so... I explained that I hadn't thought it was wild because of it's colour but he says that he's seen a jet black adult rabbit hopping around one of the nearby fields so it's probably one of it's young'uns.

Nevertheless, I'm going to call the RSPCA up in a little bit and see what they say. I've been busy all afternoon so haven't had a chance yet. Looking at it now, the poor thing looks like it's about to give up anyway. It's breathing is incredibly slow compared to Hot Cross'. Poor thing!

Anyway, I'll keep you guys posted on what happens.

Thanks again.

Aw poor little baby. Well done for looking after her so well. We found a wild bunny with myxi a few weeks ago and had to take her to the vet to be pts.
It is so sad.

The thing with Myxi is that rabbits with it usually suffer with secondary infections and it is these that eventually kill it. One of the most common is the onset of Pneumonia which is very serious and rapidly fatal. It also causes much distress and suffering.

If this little bun is struggling to breath s/he really needs to be PTS soon to end her miserable plight.

I can completely empathise with you on the dental front by the way, I have 3 dental bunnies currently, and one with severe complications who has been setting me back £100 a month for the last 6 months!

Just wanted to wish you the best of luck with this little stray. And I'll definitely second trying to isolate him/her from Hot Cross (wonderful name by the way ) and being careful of things like carrying in fleas or other little parasites on your clothing that could transfer the virus to her.

I hope the little stray doesn't suffer too much. How sad

What has happened with this little one? Well done for taking such good care of it and easing its suffering so far. Myxi is such a cruel, evil disease.

Just to update you all, I spoke to the RSPCA yesterday and they pretty much just told me to keep it where it was to avoid any further contamination and make sure I didn't touch it then go near any other animals and they would contact me back to arrange coming out to collect the rabbit.

I went to check on it this morning and it had passed away early this morning. It was just lying curled up in the corner of the hutch (I might add it looked particularly comfortable). It was still warm when I picked it up so it hadn't been gone for long, but when I checked it over, it's vagina was clearly swollen, so no doubts. Poor thing.

I just think the whole issue of Myxi is absolutely tragic. I just think it's so sad that it's something that obviously nobody will ever do something about, but shouldn't have been done in the first place. Another fine example of mankinds "bull in a china shop" attitude to it's reign over the earth and everything else that lives on it. It was brought in to control population, but instead doesn't control population, only causes a large portion of that population to live in suffering and disease.

Poor wee bun, myxo is a horrible disease, at least she's at peace now.

Myxo had been particularly bad over the past two or three years, with outbreaks lasting all year long instead of the 'biting insect months'. There was even speculation that the virus may be developing a resistance to the vaccine.

Most rabbit savvy vets are recommending that pet buns are vaccinated against myxo every six months (the efficacy of the vaccine starts to wear off at six months and is less effective up to 9 months) on top of the annual VHD vaccination.

Very, very sad

Binky free sweetheart x

Myxi is just the most cruel and horrendous disease to deal with. We were walking in the countryside yesterday and I was praying I didn't come across any suffering wildies...as it was we didn't see a single bunny and we were out in the peaks.

If you plan to use the hutch again, please make sure it is well disinfected.

Binky Free little one x

Oh how sad. Poor little one

Thanks for all your help guys. You were all very quick to respond which can often make a lot of difference, just a shame in this case nobody could do anything other than hope the poor thing didn't suffer too much.

Thanks again.